I tried to reassure Megan, and left shortly.

Later, Megan left Washington, went to the west coast, and continued her study of dance. She went to India for a time, too, but she kept up her Aikido. I haven't seen her since she left. The last I heard she is one of the principle instructors at an Aikido dojo in California.

Just after Megan left, Patty moved to Washington from Florida.

Patty came to continue her Aikido training as Sensei's student.

She also came to be Sensei's lover.

Taiji is Sensei's son from his first marriage and he entered my life, as the young often do (though I didn't know it then), as a responsibility. For about a month before he came Sensei said that he was coming. But Sensei, being Sensei, was often vague about dates. I never heard in advance exactly when Taiji was due. One day in October 1979, he was simply here.

By this time there were about thirty people practicing regularly at the dojo and Taiji was instantly a celebrity among us. Everyone, but especially Patty, tried to welcome him. Singly and in groups they took Taiji to see the Washington sights.

I was one of the last to meet him. I caught up with him (and ten of Sensei's other students) in the museum cafeteria at the National Gallery of Art about a week after he arrived.

Taiji was a short, dark-complectioned kid with coarse black hair, clear, perseptive eyes, and acne. He was fourteen and spoke very little English. I don't remember our first words. Mine were certainly in English. His response may or may not have been. I still have the impression of him looking at me puzzled and a bit apprehensive. Perhaps it is a trick of memory, but I think he knew that I wasn't to be just another face in the crowd.

Sensei's plans for Taiji were simple. The divorce between Sensei and Taiji's mother was final. They had agreed that Taiji would come to the U.S. and live with his father while Taiji's sister would remain with her mother in Japan. Taiji would go to school in the states.

Before Taiji arrived, Sensei asked me to look into the procedures for enrolling him in high school here. I said that I would, but, when I did, I didn't know that in Sensei's eyes, I had committed myself absolutely to seeing (1) that his son would be able to stay here and (2) that Taiji would be able to go to school. This turned out to be much more difficult than I could have imagined. The problems were always bureaucratic, though, for me, they became very personal.

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